Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40481608›Full record

ArticleBiological research2025

Knockout of bcas3 gene causes neurodevelopment defects in zebrafish.

Huihui Liu, Nianyi Sun, Zhenxing Liu, Jinze Li, Xianqin Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biological research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Huihui Liu *Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
Nianyi Sun *Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
Zhenxing LiuKey Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
Jinze LiKey Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China.
Xianqin ZhangKey Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China. xqzhang04@hust.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0103-2341

Funding

National Key R&D Program of China 2023YFC2706302National Natural Science Foundation of China 81000079, 81170165, and 81870959Program for HUST Academic Frontier Youth Team 2016QYTD02
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeurodevelopmental disorders manifest in early childhood and are characterized by cognitive deficits, intellectual disabilities, motor disorders, and social dysfunction. Mutations in BCAS3 gene are associated with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, while the detailed pathological mechanism is still unknown.

methodsCRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to generate a bcas3 knockout zebrafish model. To investigate the effects of bcas3 on development, morphological evaluations were conducted. Locomotor behaviors, including performance in the light-dark test, novel tank test, mirror test, shoaling test, and social test, were assessed through video tracing and quantitative analysis of movement parameters. Transcriptome sequencing analysis was used to identify dysregulated pathways associated with development process. Additionally, Acridine Orange staining was employed to evaluate apoptosis. Western blot and real-time RT-PCR were used to analyze the expression levels of genes.

resultsBcas3 knockout zebrafish exhibited early larval phenotypes resembling clinical features of patients with BCAS3 mutations, including global delayed development at early embryonic development, microcephaly and reduced body length. Behavior analysis revealed abnormal motor dysfunction, such as social impairment, increased anxiety and heightened aggression. Notably, human BCAS3 rescued the developmental defects and motor disorders in bcas3 knockout larvae. Transcriptomic analysis identified substantial downregulation of genes related to embryonic development and startle response, brain development and neuron migration in bcas3 knockout zebrafish, such as rpl10, cyfip2, erbb3b, eya4a, nr2f1b, prkg1b and ackr3b. Additionally, increased apoptosis was observed in bcas3 knockout zebrafish, which was further confirmed by Acridine Orange staining and a decreased Bcl2/Bax ratio in western blot analysis. The increased apoptosis observed in the brain of bcas3 knockout larvae could contribute to the developmental and locomotor deficits.

conclusionThe bcas3 knockout zebrafish model recapitulates the clinical features observed in patients with BCAS3 mutations. Our results suggest that increased apoptosis may underlie the developmental deficits and motor disorders in these patients. The bcas3 knockout zebrafish model provides a valuable tool to identify dysregulated molecular targets for therapeutic intervention during the early stages of disease progression.

Indexed as

Neurodevelopmental DisordersZebrafishZebrafish ProteinsAnimalsApoptosisCRISPR-Cas SystemsDisease Models, AnimalGene Knockout TechniquesNeurodevelopmentZebrafish ProteinsBCAS3CRISPR/Cas9Neurodevelopmental disorderZebrafish

Identifiers

PMID40481608
PMCPMC12142951

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.